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Wolf Pack Ways - Raising Wild Wolf Pups
by Rena Murray
Wild wolf society helps us understand the dog instinctive behavior we observe in our domestic pets, from the nurture of the young to the very modes of play that seem so adorable in our puppies. What do these mean? Let's take a look at the wolf pack as the newborn pups evolve from suckling babes to capable predators in training. Consider the critical roles of order, disciplined obedience, pack leadership, and boundaries to their very survival!
Soon after the pups are born, the pack will make a kill. How can you tell they are in kill mode? When they are not going to make a kill, the wolf pack runs in an "S" pattern, and birds of prey do not follow. When they are going to make a kill, the wolf pack forms a "V" with the alpha leader of the pack as the point man.
The mate of the mother wolf will carry food back to her. The male will push the food into the mouth of the den, but he will not enter.
Wolf infants evidence their wildness from the very beginning by howling immediately the first time they have a full belly. The wolf pups to not have the luxury of suckling mom for long, though. They are soon left with a puppy sitter, and they have to learn a new way of being fed. When the adults return from the hunt, they open their mouths to let the scent of food pour out. Attracted by the scent, each pup sticks his nose in the corner of an adult's mouth where the scent is strongest, and the older wolf regurgitates a meal for him. The adults then return to the kill and feed themselves.
The mother wolf will usually bring the pups out when they are about ten days old. Sometimes she waits up to fourteen days. The pups are then laden with the scent of the wolf pack by the alpha leader. Soon after, the pack members groom the pups as a way of bonding with them. All members of the wolf pack adore and nurture the young.
Wolf pups must grow up fast, for they live in an unforgiving environment. Refusal to obey an adult's "Stay!" bark often results in the death of a pup. Grizzlies, spiders, disease, and large birds of prey do not hesitate to prey on the young wolf pups.
Puppy play increases as the pups mature. Wrestling, mouthing on each other, chasing, biting of the back legs, tug-of-war with caribou hides, stalking each other, and other games are all things the pups do to develop and strengthen their survival skills. This same predatory wildness is part of our domestic dogs, too, something you cannot take away from them. (They key is to channel it properly.)
Some of the toys pups in the wolf pack use in their play include the wings of birds, bones from the kill, and to a much lesser extent, sticks. Pups also start practicing dragging around pieces from the kill and blocking each other from it.
When they start receiving solid meat, immediately the wolf pups start the aggressive dominance behavior of blocking each other and trying to take the food of the more mellow pups. Instinctively, they practice maneuvers to establish future wolf pack rank.
When puppy play becomes too rough and cheeky pups begin to harass adults, immediately they are put in their place. Without warning, an adult wolf will pin the rambunctious pup on the ground. This is how the wolf pups learn proper behavior.
This technique is also the most effective one to use in certain circumstances with a domestic dog, because the dog understands instinctively what is meant when he is pinned on the ground and is not hurt in the process. This technique makes the dog respect you as the alpha leader.
Domestic puppies need pack interaction, too, which is why many behavior problems develop when pups are taken from their litters too early. The wild dog behavior displayed by domestic dogs of jumping up and diving at you like a nut case would never be tolerated in a wolf pack. The wolf pack or dog pack does not allow unstable, erratic, or spoiled brat behavior, and neither should you.
Unwanted Wild Dog Behavior and Dog Instinctive Behavior in your dog? Ask Dog Behaviorist – Dog Obedience Trainer, Rena Murray, at the Dog Behavior Modification site - your source for Dog Training and Dog Rehabilitation help, Dog Products, Dog Lover Gifts, and all things dog related. See Rena's no-nonsense "Platinum Expert Author" Articles, "BestEzines"-featured free Newsletter – PAW PERSUASION POINTERS, and the Paw Persuasion Blog - http://www.pawpersuasion.com/blog/ . Contact Rena NOW for hands-on help with a Private Coaching Session .
Contact the author, Rena Murray
, at rena@pawpersuasion.com
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